The Exchange
by livviwooo
Summary: A typical French exchange to Beauxbatons becomes the start of conflict, new and old romance and even the beginnings of war all in the space of just 2 weeks! The students taking part in the exchange may have just been expecting a few weeks away in paradise, but they get a lot more than they bargained for! Dramioneee :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one  
Paired up

Hermione lugged her trunk to the castle entrance, panting a little as she went.  
As she'd refused to let the house elves carry her luggage outside for her, she was the last, and definitely the most out of breath, to reach the meeting spot.  
She tried her best to ignore Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini's snorts of laughter as she made her way over to her best friends.  
"Hermione, blimey?! Did you not get the owl McGonagal sent about house elves?" Ron asked, hastily grabbing her heavy trunk and pushing it over along with the other 11.  
"Yes," Hermione inhaled deeply, getting her breath back, "But as an active member of S.P.E.W I didn't think it would be appropriate to accept the offer." Ron rolled his eyes as Harry smiled encouragingly at her.  
"Nice thought Hermione, we should all think more like that really." Ron rolled his eyes again, and opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Professor McGonagal sweeping over to them.  
"Right then, it's good to see you all here on time, I will of course, soon be putting you with the student you will spend the majority of your time with, but that will come later. As you all are undoubtedly aware, you have been selected as 12 of our most capable students, to take part in a school exchange. There are 3 schools involved, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.  
It has been decided, that our students will be staying in France, with the Beauxbatons students."  
"Yesss! Oi oi!" Draco Malfoy crowed as he and Blaise punched each other on the arm, no doubt overjoyed with this particular decision. It was almost certain that the boys had been dreading the possibility of spending 2 weeks surrounded by masculine, huge male wizards, and all of the boys, even Dean and Seamus were no doubt relieved at this news.  
"…Thank you, Mr Malfoy." McGonagal chided, returning her attention to the other students.  
"As I was saying, we will be staying in France for 2 weeks, and whilst we're over there, you will be staying with one other Hogwarts student, those will be allocated shortly. You will also receive one challenge per day to complete with that person." She smiled coldly at the 12 students, and presented a scroll from her robes.  
A unanimous groan went out amongst the 12 students, every one of them had been expecting a holiday, not some kind of challenging activity week.  
"What about the weekend?" Seamus Finnegan called out, interrupting Professor McGonagal before she could even begin explaining.  
"The weekends will be your free time to spend in your partners, or with other Hogwarts students. You will also have a chance to explore the town of Granville and the surrounding countryside in which you will be staying."  
"And what about our exchanges?" Parvati butted in, looking nervously at the Professor.  
"You won't actually meet your exchange in person, they will be staying in Hogwarts in your place, whether they are a Durmstrang or Beauxbatons student." Professor McGonagal began to open the scroll, before interrupting herself.  
"Oh, that reminds me, there may also be some Durmstrang students staying at Beauxbatons, so please remember to be courteous, there is another group of our own students heading over to their school, so we want to make a good impression."  
"Wait, so students from our school are going to Durmstrang as well?" Dean asked, looking confused.  
Professor McGonagal nodded impatiently, as if she'd already made these facts perfectly clear.  
"Yes, now are we all done with the questions? I would like to get on with the pairing."  
The students nodded and murmured nervously, looking at each other surreptitiously, as if scoping out their possible partners.  
"The allocated partners are: Mr Potter, and Miss Parkinson." Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look as he made his way over to a very irritated Pansy.  
"Mr Zabini and Miss Lovegood." Hermione winced again, hoping the nice side of Blaise would treat her ditzy friend well, as Luna skipped over to a pained looking Blaise. It was hard to imagine a pair less suited, except possibly Luna and Draco. At least Blaise had some good in him.  
"Mr Thomas, and Miss Patil." Parvati smiled a little awkwardly at Dean as she hugged her best friend goodbye and made her way over to stand with him. Hermione smirked slightly to herself. Basically everyone, including Dean knew that Lavender had had a crush on him for the past three years.  
As Parvati and her best friend were hardly Hermione's favourite people, she couldn't help but laugh at the jealous and irritated scowl on Lavender's face.  
"Mr Finnegan and Miss Brown." Lavender and Seamus made a face, and looked distastefully at each other. Seamus and Lavender were probably the two chattiest people Hermione knew, and two of the most annoying. She seriously hoped she wouldn't be spending much time with that couple.

That left Ron, Hermione, Draco and Cho Chang. Hermione looked nervously over at Ron, hoping she'd be put with her other best friend.  
She noticed that across from her, Draco seemed to be in a similar position, no doubt praying he wouldn't be put with the mudblood.  
"Mr Weasley, and Miss Chang," Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look as his face set into stone while he watched his best friend and his ex join up. That must be killing him. She thought miserably, Harry had always been a little touchy with the whole Cho subject, they'd gotten back together after he and Ginny broke up, but that had only lasted a few weeks and hadn't gone too well.  
It was then that she realised there was probably someone else in a direr situation she should be worrying about right now, because there was only one person left for her to go with.  
"Which leaves Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger."

Cursing silently under her breath, she glared over at her arch nemesis, who glared cooly back.  
"Well, come on then Granger, get over here." He smirked, her glare intensified.  
That arrogant bastard, teasing her, bossing her about, what did he think she was, some kind of servant?  
Her features settled into a scowl as she folded her arms and stood her ground.  
"Miss Granger? Mr Malfoy? Did you hear me?" Professor McGonagal said pointedly, glaring at Hermione over her spectacles.  
Hermione broke.  
Cowering under the Professors glare, she picked up her day bag, and headed over, head hung, towards her partner.  
"Good mudblood." Draco hissed as she joined him.  
"This isn't over, ferret." She snarled.  
He could tell she wasn't bluffing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! So this is only my second fic, but I'm giving it a go :) I hope you like these first few chapters, and please PLEASE take one second to review!? You don't have to sign up for anything and it only takes a second, it would mean so much to me :) 3  
Anyways, enjoy! **

**Description: K so they're on the train now..  
Disclaimer: I own nothing... depressing I know :'(**

**LOVE YA xo**

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Chapter two  
On the way

"A whole two weeks with Malfoy? I don't envy you." Harry said sympathetically as they boarded the train.  
Hermione groaned and rested her head on Ron's shoulder miserably, she felt him jump a little at her touch, just like he always did, almost as if he was afraid of breaking her.  
"I know, it's going to be dreadful, and I was so looking forward to a whole 2 weeks in France by the sea." She complained as they plonked down in a compartment, all three the picture of misery.  
"And what about you, Harry? 2 Weeks with Pansy Parkinson, you must be thrilled!" Ron smiled nervously, trying to make conversation with Harry after having not spoken to him since he was paired with Cho.  
Harry shrugged and smiled awkwardly back.  
"Yeah, she's really rude, just keeps ignoring me and trying to get Malfoy's attention." He muttered.  
No one said anything about Ron's partner.

"Hermione, Ron!" Hermione and Ron opened their eyes blearily to see Harry sitting across from them, shaking them awake slightly.  
Ron yawned, and it was then that Hermione realised she'd fallen asleep in his arms.  
"For Merlin's sake you two, get a bloody room."  
She then noticed a thin blonde twat standing in the compartment doorway glaring down at them.  
She and Ron jerked apart awkwardly, and Hermione stood up, irritated as Ron blushed bright pink.  
"What do you want Malfoy?" She snapped, glaring angrily at him.  
He rolled his eyes and leant suavely against the door.  
"Just came to let you losers know that we're supposed to be getting into our pairs now, we're almost there. So if you two are done making me sick, and Potter's done being the third wheel, we can get this over and done with." Hermione shot him a withering look, and then turned to her friends with a smile.  
"Well guys, I guess you two could get your partners and we could sit in here-"  
"NO." Harry and Draco exclaimed in unison, Draco glaring at her, while Harry just looked a little embarrassed at his outburst.  
"I mean, I'd rather go somewhere else thanks." He said quietly, shooting Hermione an apologetic look as he made a dash for the door.  
Ron sighed and rubbed his temples, finally realising how awkward this was going to be.  
"God it's going to be like this all holiday isn't it." He groaned as Hermione sat back down and sighed.  
"I hope not Ron, but you and Cho could always sit with-"  
"I said no you silly little mudblood." Snapped Draco, immediately setting Ron off.  
"What did you call her?" He growled, jumping up out of his seat and clenching his fists.  
Draco rolled his eyes.  
"Just go. I'm not sitting in here with any of your little friends, Granger." Hermione smiled forcedly at him.  
"Well, I don't think that will work out, you see I'm almost certain you will be spending most of your time with either Blaise, or Pansy , both of whom are paired with my friends." She smirked, certain she'd stumped him.  
Draco shrugged.  
"I suppose you're right. OK, compromise, we sit with no one." He nodded, pushed Ron out the door and then shut and bolted it.  
Hermione was too stunned to move, and finally moved into action around when Ron started banging on the door.  
"You, you little weasel! Who in earth do you think you are if you think you can separate me from my friends?! I'll hex you into oblivion you self-centred, son of a squib, asshole!" She shrieked, raising her wand furiously.  
Draco smiled and knocked it out of her hands.  
"I'm being separated from my friends too, remember?" He pointed out snidely.  
Hermione paused. He had a point. Of course, there was obviously some kind of fiendish scheme behind it, but the logic was all correct.  
She retrieved her wand, and lowered it.  
"Fine."  
"There, now isn't it much better when there isn't a buck toothed know it all screaming the place down?" He smirked, sitting down and stretching his legs out across the seats.  
Hermione scowled and sat down opposite him, listening to Ron being scolded by Professor McGonagal outside.  
"I think it would be perfect if there wasn't an ugly, scrawny weasel rat boy stinking up the place but I guess you can't have it all." She remarked, smirking right back at him as he rolled his eyes.  
"You want to watch your mouth mud- hello professor!" He quickly unlocked the door and welcomed her in with a smile.  
Hermione rolled her eyes, and he calls me a suck up. She though bitterly.  
"Hello there, you are the last pair I have to visit today, and as you can see we are fast approaching our destination." She smiled, and passed them each a detailed map of Beauxbatons, a small empty cloth wallet and a blank scroll.  
Draco looked down in disgust at the odd, and cheap items he'd been passed.  
"What on earth are these for?" He muttered, fiddling with the wallet.  
"The wallet will be filled each day with the amount of money you will need. It will also be in the correct currency. If, for some reason, you have any change after you have completed your task, you may spend it yourselves.  
The scroll is blank because a task will appear each day as soon as you reach the required location. As today's task is late, it will appear once you enter the school. And the map is to help you find your way around the school, you will however note that it's all in French." She immediately noticed Malfoy reach for his wand.  
"And don't even attempt to cast a translation charm on anything or anybody, your wands have been charmed, and it will not end well for you. That's the only warning I will give, any consequences you receive from now on will be justified. I think that just about covers everything." She smiled, and stood, ready to close the door behind her when Hermione stopped her.  
"Wait! Professor, I have a question, where will we live?" She asked earnestly, thinking this was  
probably the most important thing she could have asked.  
But Professor McGonagal merely tapped her nose and winked before leaving the compartment with a flick of her robes.  
Draco groaned as he tried to make head or tail of the map they'd been given.  
"Well this is going to suck."  
For once, Hermione actually agreed with him.

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**Well I really hope you enjoyed it, please review, I BEG OF YOU! And I will remember and thank all of my first few reviewers as well :) Also, if you would like me to post anymore of this, please say so, otherwise I might just dump it hehe ;)  
LOVE YA xo**


	3. Chapter 3

**OHMYROWLING thankyou so much to my first EVER reviewers, "Guest" and "Elysabyth", I LOVE YOU MORE THAN COOKIES. **  
**This chapter's for you, hope you like it 3 **  
**I will reply to your comments in the author's note at the bottom, as I will do to all my lovely reviewers :) so maybe drop me a comment? **  
**ANYWAYS **  
**Description: ARRIVAL AT THE SCHOOL **  
**Disclaimer: I own none of it, but a girl can dream! **

**Please leave me a quick review, just a couple'a words? **  
**LOVE YA xo**

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Chapter three   
Beauxbatons

Draco Malfoy stared, bored out of his mind, out of the train window, into the inky blackness of the French countryside.  
He'd given up trying to sleep a long time ago, his mind too uneasy to rest.  
He'd then gotten bored out tying Granger's hair in small knots while she slept, and so had resolved to brood the rest of the journey away.  
To be honest, he couldn't really see much difference between English and French countryside.  
Same, dull open green fields, same drowsy cows, same everything.  
He was actually considering inviting Blaise and the freaky girl into the compartment, if only to provide some kind of distraction from the severe boredom he was suffering from.  
The last day hadn't been much better.  
He and Granger had traded insults for a while, her criticising his voice, sleek hair, stylish and "inordinately" expensive clothing, while he'd stuck to the usual Mudblood mantra.  
After about an hour and a half, she got bored and attempted to escape, probably to talk to Potter and the ginger freak, but Professor McGonagall had asked her to remain seated while they were travelling over to France.  
By the time they'd arrived the other side of the channel, everyone was too tired to bother swapping compartments, and even the ginger kid had finally left them alone.  
And now he was waiting for the end, wondering if the mudblood would laugh after discovering he'd died of boredom in the night.  
With a sigh, he turned back to the window, contemplating how on earth he'd survive two weeks in a foreign country with Granger.  
That was when he saw it.  
The beautiful pale blue spires twinkling in the distant horizon, the moonlight bathing the glorious, but distant palace in a silvery glow.  
It had to be.  
"Beauxbatons." Draco whispered, gazing in awe at the end of his journey.  
And the home of gorgeous French sex goddesses.  
Across from him, Hermione began to stir, slowly sitting up drowsily and yawning as she stretched out and rubbed her eyes.  
She looked momentarily confused as she got her bearings, then realisation dawned, then she spotted Draco and her scowl returned.  
"Oh. What are you looking at?" She snapped irritably as Malfoy's thoughts of hot veela feeding him grapes off a vine were interrupted.  
He jumped and glared accusatively at her for a second, but then his usual suave smirk was plastered across his face.  
"Beauxbatons. Just imagining what all those smoking hot veela girls are going to do for me when they worship me as their king." Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him away from the window, desperate to get a look.  
She hadn't exactly enjoyed the journey either.  
"They're not going to be slaves to us you know." She snapped, irritated with his usual malevolent sexist ways.  
"Maybe not to you, but as you ought to know by now Miss Granger, I do have quite a way with women. Just ask 80% of the girls in our year." He grinned as though imagining each one of them.  
Hermione shuddered, closing her eyes as she tried to banish the thought from her mind.  
"Please just shut up and let me get a look?" She moaned, shoving him away from the window again until he finally rolled his eyes and surrendered.  
He watched in disgust as her face lit up with excitement and awe, typical mudblood.  
"It's beautiful, just like the Disney castle." She beamed, stars in her eyes as she gazed at the approaching castle.  
"Like the what?! Is that a disease?" Draco snorted, as Hermione sighed in exasperation.  
"No, it's a muggle company, they make films and cartoons, they also have theme parks and merchandise."  
Draco racked his brain and thought back to his muggle studies lessons in the lower school, he could distantly remember some things they'd learnt about films and companies, but then again he had spent most of those lessons aiming spit balls at perfect Potter.  
He smirked, remembering the good times.  
"Do you remember from class, or do you need me to explain? It's quite fascinating really." Hermione enthused, but Draco quickly raised a hand to stop her.  
"No, I think I remember enough." He snapped, rolling his eyes as she glared at him.  
"Suit yourself, snot bag, I would've thought you'd find the villains quite relatable." Draco snarled, not quite sure why it irritated him so much that she thought he was evil.  
He was, right? That's what he'd been trying to convince himself and the rest of the year since day one.  
"Shut up, mudblood, I don't give a shit about your stupid muggle castles." He sneered, whipping around and flinging open the door.  
"Where are you going?" Hermione snapped, irritated beyond belief, especially seeing as she'd just discovered the knots tied in her hair.  
"To find Zabini, or is that a crime to you?" He scowled, but was interrupted by a stern hand on his shoulder.  
"Now now, Mr Malfoy, I wouldn't go doing that if I were you." McGonagall chided as Malfoy groaned inwardly.  
"Why Professor?" He bit his tongue back before he swore in exasperation.  
"Because, we've arrived."

The castle was even more incredible up close than it had been far away, the tall twisting spires glittered prettily in the moonlight, and there was a certain mystical air about it, as though it had been taken straight out of a fairy tale.  
The girls oohed, and ahhed, admiring the beauty of the castle and its grounds as the winged horses rode their carriages closer and closer to the huge front doors, and even the boys looked rather enthralled by the beauty of it all.  
"Bloody hell." Was all Ron could manage as they finally arrived, each one of them, even Malfoy, stopped and stared at the glorious gates of Beauxbatons castle.  
Their momentary quiet was interrupted as the door to the castle opened, and someone poked their head out, and smiled.  
"Ah, it is zem! I told you, no?" A beautiful, raven haired woman called back to the castle as she glided towards them, as though she were ghost. She wore long, floaty ice blue robes that made her skin look even paler. Her blood red lips and flawless appearance reminded Hermione of Snow White, and the way she smiled selflessly and exuded confidence and general happiness increased this metaphor.  
"Welcome, my friends, to Beauxbatons academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She beamed, her glittery eyes enchanting each and every one of them.  
Hermione was almost certain Ron would start drooling at any minute.  
"I am Madame Yakouben, I will be your host while you stay. If there are any problems," She smiled and curtseyed prettily before beaming at a stunned professor McGonagall.  
"Please, just speak with me." She noticed the weary and bored faces, and placed a delicate hand over her mouth.  
"Oh, pardonnez moi, I have been so rude, mon dieu! Shall we welcome our guests in the proper way, girls?" Madame Yakouben called, before clapping her hands twice and gesturing grandly to the huge front doors.  
Twelve Beauxbatons students appeared, and began to twirl and dance, whilst singing the haunting words to a beautiful melody as they curtseyed before their guests, and took their bags.  
"Music and dance is very important to us here." Madame Yakouben explained, smiling to the girls as they skipped away with the student's luggage.  
"Now, I shall leave you now, as I have a meeting to attend, I shall have to be leaving you now. I think your professor wanted to speak with you, Madame?" She smiled inquisitively at McGonagall who jumped as though she'd been awaken from a dream.  
"Ah, um yes, of course, thank you." She smiled, regaining her composure as the woman twirled away, leaving the door slightly ajar for the group of Hogwarts students with another enchanting smile.  
"Well, that was a very warm welcome," A few of the boys cheered and grinned, nodding in approval as McGonagall regained her tight lipped composure.  
"Indeed. And now for your first task. At this moment in time, the majority of Beauxbatons students are in bed, as are the Professors. Your task, is to, using your personalised map, locate your sleeping quarters where your luggage will be waiting.  
How much rest you get will depend on how quickly you can find your beds. You may not ask anyone for help, as I will not have you disturbing anyone. The first, second and third teams to complete this task will be awarded prizes, this will also happen with any other tasks we complete, so get used to teamwork, and good luck." The Professor smiled, bid them all good night and farewell, and left them all to attempt the first task.

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**We be taskin' it up ;)  
SO special special thanks to my tow larrvely reviewers:**

Elysabyth: I did write more, X3 hope you enjoy it, thankyou so much for taking a minute to review you lovely duck!

Guest: I honestly feel flattered you pay that much attention to detail XD if I can figure out/get round to changing it I will, thankyou so much for noticing and leavin gme a review, lava chuuu 3

I will update ASAHP (as soon as humanly possible ;) ) and pleaseeeee leave me a review? I will credit you and love you forever! Whatever you like, plot ideas, character development, corrections, criticism, I DONT MIND it just makes me happy yo know you care a lil bit :)  
LOVE YA xo


	4. Chapter 4

**Thankyou so much to my two new reviewers, who I will reply to at the end of the chapter :) **

**I dedicate this one to you two; "ispeakimagination" and "ANEwrites" **

**Description: This chapter is a wee bit longer, it's about the first challenge and has a little about their relationship developing :)  
Disclaimer: No, I am not JK Rowling, as much as I'd like to be**

Sorry for any mistakes, but I really wanted to update quick for you guys! So any grammatical errors, I obviously don't mind you pointing out if you do review, but it would be nice to hear your thoughts as well :)

LOVE YA xo

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Chapter Four   
The first challenge

"We've _got_ to win." Draco snapped into action immediately, wrenching the map out of Hermione's hands as he quick walked to the castle.

"Excuse me, I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a team effort?!" She muttered, hurrying after him as he burst through the gates and into the entry way. Hermione barely had any time to admire the beautiful artwork, similar to that of the renaissance as Draco ploughed on, into one of the darkened corridors.

"What does 'vous' mean?" Draco hissed as Hermione caught up with him.

"Oh just pass that to me." She snapped, snatching the map out of his hands and quickly inspecting it. It reminded her of the marauders map that Harry had shown her a few times, the way that there were labelled moving dots of people and the names of rooms and corridors as well.

Of course the main problem was, it was all in French.

"Where's the task sheet?" Hermione glared at him, as he quickly patted away at his pockets in the dim light.

"Here! McGonagall said the task would appear on here, right?"

Hermione nodded and snatched away the second piece of parchment.

"Is it in French?" Draco asked nervously as Hermione sighed.

"No it isn't, and why are you so worried anyway? All of your family is descended from the French, can't you speak it?"  
Draco scowled in irritation and slight surprise.

"We're only taught it at a basic level now, and how did you know that anyway?!"  
Hermione shrugged, inspecting the parchment as soon as she'd whispered lumos and lit up their view.

"I do my research." She scoured the small square of parchment, taking in every word, memorising it.

"Done. We have to find where we'll be staying in the castle, as it's a very old place that used to be a palace, there are several unused wings that are often used as bed chambers. We've got to locate where we'll be staying."  
Draco shrugged and grabbed the map.

"No problem, does this thing have arrows on it or something?"  
Hermione sighed exasperatedly.

"No, the parchment McGonagall gave us has directions written on it that we have to follow, in French, and then at the end is a complicated incantation we have to say to get into our room. In French."  
Draco groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Just shut up and get moving. I'm putting you in charge on translation, me in charge of everything else, got it?"  
Hermione folded her arms and stood her ground.

"Oh, I get it, but I don't agree with it."

"For God's sake, Mudblood, why can't you just do what you're told?" Draco spat as he attempted to snatch at the second piece of parchment Hermione still held. She whipped away from him.

"I don't take orders from snivelling Slytherin ferrets."  
Draco looked about ready to punch her when Hermione gasped and looked at the piece of parchment.

"One pair's already got to their room!" She groaned as Draco swore and kicked the wall angrily.

"I hope you know this is all your fault, if you weren't so stubborn-"

"Oh if I weren't so stubborn? That's rich coming from you! If you just listened to what I said for once, maybe you'd realise how wrong you are."

"I don't see you coming up with another plan!? I say we stick to the original, you translate, I do everything else and take charge."

"You have to be in charge to delegate roles and I never said you were in charge."

It was then that someone woke up.  
The pair had been so absorbed in their shouting match, that they hadn't even noticed how loud their voices were getting.

"What was that?" Hermione hissed, lowering her voice drastically as a small, high pitched giggle echoed down the corridor they were still standing in.

"Nox." She whispered, backing up against the wall as she looked nervously down the hall way.

"We were told to stay quiet, what did you start shouting for you stupid Mudblood?!" Draco hissed angrily as he slid next to her.

"Me?! Shouting?! You were the one who-"  
Another giggle, much louder this time broke her off, and Draco forced a hand over her mouth mid-sentence.

"SHHHHH!" He hissed sternly, glaring at her furiously in the dark.

She bit down on his hand. Hard.

"ARGHHH!" Draco yelped, clutching his hand as Hermione shoved him away from her.

"Shut UP you idiot!" She stifled a laugh as he looked at her as though he wanted to crucio her.

"Did you just infect me you filthy mudblood scum?!" He hissed, his voice pained as he shook his hand furiously.

"Ugh, get over it Malfoy, aren't you a little too old for cooties?" Hermione mocked, rolling her eyes as he raised his wand.

He simply shook his head, lips pursed as he looked, eyes wide, past her shoulder.

Hermione turned, wand raised to face whatever was behind her, and almost screamed.

A huge, silvery grey wolf was skulking along the corridor, raising its nose and sniffing the air carefully as it padded slowly and softly down the hallway.

Straight towards them.

Hermione didn't dare to breath, her hand shook as she kept her wand trained on the huge monster, and she turned back to face Draco, her eyes unblinking.

She stared desperately at him, trying to somehow signal: _"What do we do?!"_

She knew she'd made herself clear when he simply shrugged, wide eyed and terrified as her.

That was when the wolf turned.

Sharply, it spun round, its nose twitching violently as it sniffed in their direction.

"Hermione…" Draco whispered in a warning tone, just as the wolf raised its snout to the ceiling and howled.

The sound of soft feet and sharp claws cracking on the stone floor echoed throughout the castle, and the wolf turned to them, almost smiling as its backup came to aid it.

"RUN." Draco bellowed, as Hermione whipped out her wand, knowing they would only make it with a little 7th year spell she'd been taught early by her charms teacher.

"MOTORIUS!" She shouted, directing her wand at her feet as Draco did the same. He'd obviously also been put down for the advanced placement charms class.

The effect was immediate, both students' feet became a blur of movement as they desperately ran, the echoing howls and barks of the wolves behind them.

The charm wore off relatively quickly, the idea being that you'd get where you needed to go in plenty of time. Unfortunately, even though it sped up your running, it still took a toll on your body.

The pair collapsed against a wall and slid to the floor, both breathing heavily as the colour returned to their cheeks. Hermione managed to gasp lumos so they could get a better look at their surroundings, before she dropped her wand and weakly leant her head back against the tapestries.

"Well, didn't expect that." Draco finally uttered, wiping the sweat from his brow as he got his breath back.

"Not on the first night anyway." Hermione groaned, reaching for the parchment as she sat up straight.  
Draco looked expectantly at her as she inspected both the map and their sheet.

"Well?" He asked impatiently, still just the same as ever.

"We've actually managed to get closer to our room, despite the whole near death experience, just a few more instructions to go." Hermione grinned, satisfied even after the terrifying endeavour.

"We'd better get moving then Granger, find out what the hell a 'bibliothèque' is."  
Hermione grinned, remembering her favourite all time phrase she knew in 6 different languages.

"Ou et le bibliothèque?" She grinned, grabbing the map and heading straight for her favourite place.

The library.

It was half 1 when Draco and Hermione finally reached a door marked with their symbol.  
The fact that Hermione had been able to remember the French for library had actually helped them out a lot, as reaching and passing the library had been the final milestone in their journey.

As the pair slowly and drowsily read out the incantation in unison, the symbol glowed and the door swung slowly open, to reveal a quaint old fashioned tea room, with a small fireplace, two armchairs and a sofa.

There was a door leading to the shared bathroom, which both could only sneer at, and then a further two doors that lead to their separate rooms.

Draco barely spoke a word to Hermione once they'd entered the room, he simply retrieved his suitcase from beside the fireplace, and retired to his room.

Hermione soon did the same, turning out the lights as she went.

As she pulled the covers up, too exhausted to even consider unpacking, her brain began to slowly recount the events of the evening, and she paused and thought for a moment at one point.

Because she realised that that night, in the moment when she was absolutely certain she would perish, Draco Malfoy had called her by her first name.  
For the first time in her whole 6 years at Hogwarts.

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**I actually quite like this chapter XD  
Next one will be posted ASAHP, here are my replies to my two lahhvly reviewers! :)**

ANEwrites: Haha thankyou so much! I really hope I can pull it off, I don't plan on making this quick and shoddy! I hope you stay to read till the end, thanks so much for the review! 

**ispeakimagination: Thanks so much for all of those points! They were really helpful. So, the summary, I hate it! It was supposed to be temp cause I had no idea about my fic when I started and always meant to change it, but now I cant figure out how -.- I'll take a longer look at some point though, it really annoys me!  
The spacing, as an author I'm so used to just typing in a word doc, so it took me a bit to get used to changing the formatting for this, but I think I've figured it out :)  
And on the characters, I did know that, but I wanted to use more interesting characters to create a new storyline rather than the typical set. As the trio are in their 6th year in this, I didn't think the age gap would matter too much (as I'm sure you know, most school age trips are open to a variety of year groups) I also got a bit of inspiration from a few other fics I read where Luna was involved, and I wanted to add Cho into the mix for something different :) **

**Thanks so much for the review though, it helped me a lot and I'm really happy you took the time to make these points! XD**

Thankyou so much for reading, hope you enjoyed! As you can see, I always reply and credit any reviewers, so your input would be so appreciated!

LOVE YA xo


	5. Chapter 5

**RIGHT so to those of you who do read my fic (thanks btw 3) you'll know that I've been away a little while... SORRY!**

**So much stuff got in the way, what with exams, results, holidays, but now I have a lot of free time and have decided to make Monday (or the early hours of Tuesday...) my new chapter day! **

**SO just check every Monday night (GMT) and there should be a new one posted!  
Anyways, sorry for the delay :'( **

**SUMMARY: 1st (proper) task! A new character is introduced and we see a little more of Draco's character!  
DISCLAIMER: Nope, not JK Rowling, last time I checked anyway...**

**Hope you enjoy, and as I reply to ALL my reviewers ASAP, please drop me a review! Some advice, criticism, thoughts on character development or just a threatening note, anything would be much appreciated :D **

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Chapter 5

Question Time

Hermione was up, she'd set her alarm for half past six, just as it always was, and had already claimed the bathroom.

After a long hot shower, she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and brushed her teeth, idly wondering what the task for today would be.

Once she was done, she returned to the communal area of her and Draco's shared dormitory, and pondered waking him up, it was already ten past seven, and she knew they'd be receiving their challenge soon.

By twenty past Hermione had finished her instant coffee she'd made using the provided mug and sachet, and was seriously contemplating interrupting the irritating ferret's beauty sleep.

By half past, Hermione was pacing the room, her mind ill at ease as she wondered the appropriate way to wake an arrogant idiot, but luckily for her, the Slytherin source of her problems had just shut his bedroom door, and headed for the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes and turned around, ready to lecture him about his punctuality when she realised he was top naked, silvery blonde hair tousled from sleep, and she was still in her skimpy tight shorts and tee she wore to bed.

"Don't stare too much Granger." Malfoy drawled, sneering as she quickly averted her eyes, and grabbed her dressing gown protectively.

"I could say the same to you Malfoy." She muttered, deciding to leave the lecture until the pair of them were fully clothed.

"Like I would ever even glance upon a mudblood like you." Draco laughed as he shut the bathroom door, grabbed his towel off the rail and tried to convince himself that he hadn't been looking at those long, slim legs and the way they'd looked soft, probably smooth to the touch-

He shook himself, gripping the sides of the sink as he pushed the thoughts out of his mind.

He ran the shower scalding hot, as punishment for his stupid thoughts of Granger that hadn't involved ripping her hair out.

France had clearly done something to his head, messed it up with all of the beauty of the Beauxbatons castle, the pearly marble pillars that towered stories high, the damned pink rose climbers that seemed to wheedle their way into just about every corner.

The unnerving perfection of it all was putting him off, distracting him from his usual thoughts and aims.

With a shudder, he glanced down at his left wrist at the gruesome, twisted, blackened tattoo that was imprinted onto his skin.

He hated it.

He knew it was what his father had always wanted, evidence that his son would follow in his footsteps, but he detested the awful thing, he was repulsed by the way it would move, the way the Dark Lord had him at his beck and call, like a common house elf.

In all honesty, he was ashamed to bear it, not like those before him who'd worn it with pride. But he knew any act of rebellion would destroy his father, destroy the Malfoy family name.

He'd be outcast, hunted, slaughtered, his dear relatives would be killed before him, as punishment for disobeying the Dark Lord.

There was no way he could ever risk it.

Hermione hummed to herself as she quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a T shirt from her wardrobe, she was almost lost inside it.

In fact, she was dwarfed by comparison by pretty much everything at Beauxbatons, the grandeur, the glorious white and gold furniture, silk sheets, double beds made her feel out of place, as did the beautiful French students who swanned about the grounds.

With a sigh, she got dressed, and hurried back to the communal area to see an owl awaiting them at the window of the room.

She hastily opened the latch, and allowed the graceful bird to drop a note written on thick yellowing parchment before it fluttered off into the clouds.

She picked up the note, and immediately recognised Professor McGonagall's small, neat script.

She hesitated before reading their challenge for the day, deciding instead to wait for Malfoy to finish preening so they could go over the task together.

When the silver haired boy was finally finished getting dressed, in a crisp white shirt, black cashmere sweater and smart black trousers (he tutted at Hermione's decidedly relaxed attire) no less, he took a seat as far away from Hermione as possible in the common area, and nodded towards the note.

"Go on then Granger, read it out like a good little know it all."

She scowled but couldn't be bothered to come up with a snarky reply, and simply turned to the note in her lap, actually doing as he asked for once and reading it out loud.

"Good day Hogwarts students, I trust your arrival to the castle was eventful," Draco attempted a derivative snort, but it fell flat. His face paled at the memory of the eerie silvery beasts in the moonlight. It had become a clear unspoken rule that neither student would speak about the events of last night, even Hermione Granger, the insufferable know it all herself had been dumbstruck.

"And that you are now settled in. For your first day task, you will be asked to write one yes or no question in French, on the back of this parchment, and take a survey of as many Beauxbatons students as you possibly can. Good luck."

Draco groaned and slumped back in the armchair he was seated in, and Hermione didn't exactly look excited either.

"Oh Merlin she can't be serious?! How very… muggle!" She exclaimed, leading Draco to smirk mockingly.

"Oh, Hermione Granger did you just somehow insult muggles in that little outburst there?" Hermione shot him a dark look and decided to completely ignore the petulant comment, instead throwing the square of parchment towards him.

"You seem so relaxed about this whole thing, why don't you come up with the question then? Plus I think we both know you're the better of the pair of us at French."

Draco snorted and sat up.

"I'm better than you in a lot of things Granger, Potions, Charms, oh and remember that time last year when I got a full eight marks more than you on that Transfiguration essay?"

"Oh just shut it Malfoy, you get one paper graded higher than mine and think you're some kind of genius." Hermione snapped, whirling out of the room angrily.

"Call me when your insignificant little mind can come up with a question for us to use." She snapped, slamming the door to her bedroom as Draco rolled his eyes and tried to think of a way to make this interesting.

"Oi, mudblood, I'm leaving to complete the task we've been set today, or have you completely forgotten about it already?" Draco snapped half an hour later, after he'd entertained himself with a bit of Granger-free time.

"Took you long enough." Hermione huffed, returning from her room and slipping on her battered trainers.

Draco shrugged, trying to hide his smirk as he passed her the parchment.

"I decided to make sure I could come up with a question worthy of your standard."

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously and quickly flipped over the parchment, clumsily reading out the scrawled line of text.

"Voulez vous couchez avec moi ce soir?" She tried, as Draco tried to contain his laughter, before rolling his eyes.

"It's pronounced, voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir, don't pronounce the endings mudblood." He snorted at her basic French before hastily rushing her to the door before she could ask any questions.

"Right, now we've already lost a lot of time, so we want to get right into asking people our question." Draco said hurriedly as Hermione looked on, irritated.

"You still haven't told me what it actually means? I think I remember hearing it somewhere, is it a line from a muggle song?" she asked suspiciously.

Draco thought on his feet.

"Yes, it's to do with music." He said hastily, and was saved from further questioning by the arrival of an unsuspecting French student. A boy, he looked about 17, perfect.

"Well then Granger, ask!" He shoved her forward, and she almost tripped, still clutching the scrap of parchment.

"Um, excuse me, oh right, French, excuser moi, um… sir but-" The French boy cut her off with a small smile, and Draco immediately disliked him.

He was unnervingly attractive, dark, almost black curls framed his angular face, he was tall, and his figure was model worthy, and when he smiled his face seemed to open, relax and welcome.

"Ah, don't worry Miss, I speak English, you must be from 'Ogwarts, yes?"

Hermione nodded with a smile, and for a moment forgot what she was supposed to be doing.

"Oh, um, that's right, I uh, have a question for you? We're supposed to ask for a task we've been set by- oh, never mind," She was blabbing and she knew it, she felt her face begin to flush as she looked down nervously at the parchment whilst Malfoy looked on and tried not to laugh, this was too perfect.

"Ok, um, so voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" She stuttered nervously, feeling initially pleased she'd managed to pull off asking so well, but the pride vanished as quickly as it had come when Draco burst into peals of laughter.

Hermione began to blush, and looked back to the confused French student who was looking at Hermione with befuddlement, and Draco with contempt.

"What is it? What did I say?" She hissed angrily at Draco, simply causing him to laugh even harder.

She turned in desperation to the French student who smiled cockily at her, and beckoned for her to come closer.

She leaned in as he whispered in her ear the scandalising sentence Draco had had her repeat, and immediately began to blush once more.

"Oh my goodness, I, I'm so sorry, I didn't know," But the French boy simply laughed and grinned at her.

"I normally take a girl on a few dates before I answer a question like zat." He smiled, and winked at her cheekily.

"Pierre, Pierre Toulembre." He smiled, holding out his hand as Draco's laughter subsided and he began to realise his plan hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped.

"Hermione Granger." Hermione returned the smile shyly, and shook his hand as he shot Draco an icy stare.

"I think it was rather stupid of your friend to make you say such a thing." He snapped as Hermione barely glanced at Draco and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, he's not my friend." She muttered, this time shooting him a purely venomous stare.

"Well, why don't you and I go for a walk, I can show you around ze castle whilst your not friend finishes your daily task?" Pierre winked, offering a hand to Hermione who shot Draco one last look of contempt before turning to smile at Pierre and taking his hand.

"I'd like that."

Draco could have snapped his wand in half as Hermione swanned off with some filthy French guy.  
Instead of humiliating the mudblood out of his thoughts and out of a social life, he'd only succeeded in practically setting her up and getting the workload for that day.

He was about to get laboriously to work, asking a question he couldn't change due to the charmed parchment, when he felt his left wrist begin to burn, a prickly and slow pain that fired up over his mark.

The lord was calling.

* * *

**OK so thankyou so much to those two laaaavely reviewers for my last chapter, here's my lil response! :  
pug1998: Thankyou! I hope you enjoy this one too :) **

**Ispeakimagination: FINALLY got my summary changed! I might put a little more work into it as I go on, but it'll do for now, thanks for all your advice, hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

**SO please drop my a quick review, (you can do it without an account by the way, just comment, in case you're a newbie who is a bit confused like me xD) anything would be SO greatly appreciated! **

**LOVE YA! xo (and see you next week!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**HI GUYS!  
Weekly update, keeping my promise! ;) **

**So, last week I hit 10 reviews! Thankyou so much to anyone who dropped me a comment, I LOVE YOU ALL and will reply to all the new reviews at the end of this chapter :)  
So, to my four new reviewers, the several Guest commenters and Pug1998, this chapter's for you :)**

**So, by next week I'm hoping to hit 15 reviews, so if 5 more of you could leave me a comment (you don't have to sign up or anything it's completely anonymous :) ) it would mean so much, I'll credit you and reply as well! :)  
SO on with the chapter :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, trust me, please. **

**Description: Some shady stuff going on here guys, we head to the Dark Lord, catch up with Harry, and see some interesting events unfold... ENJOY :D**

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Chapter 6  
Draco's assignment

Draco managed to escape the castle without much notice from any of the self-absorbed irritating students he passed, and quickly apparated to the current home of Lord Voldemort and his followers.

The Malfoy Mansion.

His mother was there to greet him when he arrived, and wrapped him into a close hug as she smiled weakly at her ever changing son.

"The Lord is waiting dear, and please be careful." Narcissa Malfoy's once perfectly beautiful face was etched with worry lines, her hair had begun to grey prematurely and she seemed to always be shaking slightly.

Draco hated what all of this had done to his mother, he knew that given the chance, she'd run away from it all, his father, everything.

Draco had sworn to himself the day he began to notice is mothers slow and silent deterioration that he would get her out of all of this, one day.

Draco forced a smile back and nodded, heading through the black twisted gates and into the manor that was his home.

He was led by a house elf to the door of the dining chamber, and knocked sharply before a cold, high pitched voice he knew all too well invited him to enter.

Lord Voldemort sat at the head of the table, his two current favourites sitting at either side of him, Bellatrix Lestrange and his own father.

"Ah, Draco. Good that you arrived on time, as usual." Voldemort hissed as Draco knelt before him.

"Yes my Lord." He managed to contain his anger at being forced to bow before this twisted being who had destroyed his family. He practically spat the word "Lord", but managed to hide his expression as he barely contained his rage.

"It seems there is a task, something that is haunting me, which only you can accomplish at this point in time. It is of course, the matter of the very irritating Mr Potter."

Draco couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise as he was described as the only one able to help. He was almost certain there were tens of followers at Lord Voldemort's disposal, older, wiser and more powerful witches and wizards willing to help.  
What could he do that they couldn't?

"You seem intrigued Master Malfoy, may I enquire why?" Lord Voldemort hissed, glaring down at the bowed blonde head before him, irritated that for some reason he couldn't step into the young boy's mind.

"With respect my Lord," The youngest Malfoy spoke carefully, measuring every word as he knew it could end up being his last.

"I fail to see how _I_ am able to destroy Harry Potter."

Voldemort laughed at this, his high pitched cackle reverberating painfully off the gilded walls.

"Destroy him? Why, my dear boy I would have thought you'd know by now that that was a task I myself was hoping for. No, I want you lure Potter here, away from the safety of Dumbledore's protection."

"And how do you propose I accomplish this task, my Lord?" Draco enquired, still at a loss as to what was being asked of him.

"I want you to seduce Hermione Granger."

* * *

For the first time since his arrival in France, Harry felt relaxed.

He'd spent the day asking multiple French students some meaningless question, and as he and Pansy had finished early, they'd been given an early lunch to enjoy the grounds a long with a few other students who'd already completed their tasks.

And so he, Pansy and Seamus were watching as Lavender and Parvati desperately fought for Dean's attention in the midday sun.

"Since when did Dean become such a ladies man anyhow?" Seamus muttered, glaring on at his friends with what could only be described as jealously.

"I think it's pathetic really." Pansy sniffed, and not for the first time since taking part in the trip, Harry agreed with her.

He'd discovered that for all Pansy appeared the shallow, self-absorbed Slytherin to most, she actually had quite immeasurable depth, and proved for very interesting conversation on political subjects.

In fact, Harry couldn't remember the last intelligent conversation he'd had with anyone who wasn't Hermione before he'd gotten to know Pansy.

"I mean just look at him. He clearly has no intention of 'choosing' either of them, yet he's happy to sit there and watch them ruin their friendship over him just for a little extra attention." She sniffed and rolled her eyes.

"And of course the two of them are so immersed in this false competition that they haven't even noticed he's not remotely interested in either of them." Harry added, shaking his head in disbelief as the two girls fawned over Dean.

Watching the pair of them fight for his affection was beginning to bore Harry, and he had to admit he was more than a little concerned about wherever it was Hermione and Malfoy were.

He'd been avoiding Ron and Cho all day, and had decided to keep it up for as long as humanly possible, but he was beginning to wonder what kind of horrors Malfoy could have put Hermione through, whether he'd kidnapped her and taken her away to the other Deatheaters.

His mind began to spin out of control, into wild imagination land, and before long scenes of Hermione being tortured by Dementors before Dumbledore's corpse were running through his mind.

He was just about to leap up and begin searching for his friend, when he heard a familiar jovial laugh, one he would recognise in thirty years' time.

He spun around, and spotted Hermione walking along, hand in hand no less, with a tall handsome boy Harry had never seen before.

As soon as she caught sight of the rest of them sitting out on the grass, she waved and began to head over, still laughing along with this strange boy.

"Hi everyone, good day?" She asked, beaming, her face slightly flushed.

Harry nodded curtly, giving the guy a once over.

Hermione was like the only true family Harry had ever had, and anyone new who decided to hang around her had to be given the go ahead from him, well as far as he was concerned.

The kid seemed to be a little older than them, and had a slightly arrogant air about him. Harry found himself disliking this new 'friend' of Hermione's almost immediately.

"Oh, gosh I'm being so rude, everyone, this is Pierre." She smiled, as the French boy smiled at them all through a stray lock of curly clack hair.

"Hallo 'Ermione has told me all about you, I'm pleased to meet you." He said politely, before turning back to Hermione and whispering something in her ear.

She giggled and playfully slapped him away as he winked at her, still smiling.

"Pierre stop it, gosh you're embarrassing me." She blushed again, before turning to a dumbstruck Harry.

"Harry it was great to catch up with you," she then looked about and seemed to suddenly remember something.

"Oh, where's Ron?"

Ron.

Harry hadn't even begun to think about how his best friend would react to this, he gritted his teeth in agitation, how could he have been so selfish?

He knew now that he'd have to seek out Ron, and, inevitably, Cho, it was his job as his friend to talk to him about this new bloke 'Pierre'.

He was awoken from his thoughts just a few seconds later by Hermione waving lightly at him before she began to turn away.

"Harry, I'll have to talk later, Pierre was going to show me around the rest of the castle, I'll see you at dinner, ok?" She smiled and was already strolling away before Harry could open his mouth to respond, he instead set it in a thin grim line.

It was then that he noticed, that for the entire exchange, she hadn't stopped holding the French bloke's hand.

"Oh, we'll definitely talk." He muttered, and didn't take his eyes off her until she'd rounded a corner and headed out of sight.

* * *

"What?!" Draco spluttered, losing his cool for the first time in the tense meeting.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow calmly and sighed.

"I wasn't aware you have a hearing problem Draco, well that must be the only reason you would ever interrupt me." It was a clear warning, Draco shut his mouth and bowed his head.

Lord Voldemort smiled, and continued.

"As I was saying. Seduce the Mudblood, bring her here and Potter will have no choice but to follow, you know how stupidly loyal that foolish boy is." Voldemort sneered, before turning back to Draco.

"You will have two weeks to complete this task, as there will be no way for you to escape Hogwarts and apparate to the Manor."

Draco was fuming.

How dare that evil, twisted villain instruct him to fraternise with a _mudblood_, romantically no less! And just two weeks to complete the task? Impossible, there was no way he'd be able to build up Granger's trust in just two weeks.

But he knew there was definitely no disobeying a direct order from the dark, unless you wanted to be signing your death warrant.

"Yes my Lord." He muttered through his teeth, his head still bowed hiding his murderous expression.

"Good. You may go, your services are no longer required. Lucius, please escort our guest out of the Manor."

Lucius nodded and watched his son, analysing his every move as he got up from the floor, bowed and followed his father to the door.

Once they'd left the dining room and were out of earshot, Lucius turned to his son and struck him full across the face.

Draco stood completely still, didn't flinch and didn't waver, knowing from all his past experiences throughout his childhood that this would simply earn him a second hit.

"I knew it, I _knew_ your mother had been planning something." He hissed, rubbing his temples as he paced the corridor.

"Planning what, _father_?" Draco spat the last word, as though it physically disgusted him to be related to this man.

Lucius spun around lightning fast to face his son.

"She's been teaching you in secret hasn't she, occlumency."

Draco flinched, and felt his heart rate speed up as he looked away. How had he figured it out? His mother and he had been practising in secret for a few months, not long after his father informed Draco about being initiated as a Deatheater.

"Do you know what this means?! You are keeping your thoughts from the Dark Lord, _your_ Lord,_ your_ ruler. If he finds out, do you not understand what this could do to my reputation? Have you no honour?!" Lucius roared as Draco snapped.

"Your reputation? That's all anything's ever about isn't it father, never about me or mother, have you even noticed how frail she's become lately? And it's all your fault, she may die because of you and your reputation!"

Lucius struck his son again, so hard that Draco fell to the floor, stars flickering in his eyes.

"Do not ever speak down to me, boy. You will do as I say, you will do as the Lord says and you will stop this foolish act of rebellion. Now, where is your mother?"

Draco clutched his smarting face, gasping in pain.

"I won't tell you, I'll never tell you! She always deserved better than this, leave her be." Draco snarled, laboriously getting to his knees, and slowly standing.

Lucius shot him a murderous look and simply snapped his fingers.

A house elf appeared before him, trembling nervously.

"Yes master?" It squeaked as Lucius glared down at it.

"Find Narcissa, bring her to me, I need-"

"NO, don't, Darner please, no." Draco cried, still struggling to his feet as he begged a house elf, of all things, to help him.

But the house elf had already received its orders, and had already dis-apparated to find his mother.

Lucius spun around to face his son, and spat on him in disgust.

"Go back to the palace Draco, do as the Lord commands. I expect better from you." He snarled, before gesturing for a second elf to escort his son out of the Manor.

And so Draco Malfoy left his family home in disgrace, with only the distant screams and sobs of his mother ringing in his ears.

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**SO hope you enjoyed that! Next chapter will be posted probably a little later, maybe VERY early Tuesday morning (GMT) as I'm on holiday :) **

**REVIEWS: **

**meadow-music: That's what I plan to be doing over the next few chapters, as you can see, the rift between Draaco and his father is already beginning to show**

Guest (Comment: **_loving it_****) I'm so glad! I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)**

Guest (Comment: **_Please keep going, I am enjoying it.) _****I certainly will! I'm enjoying writing it :)**

Pug1998: Haha yeah I know, honestly him smarter than the brightest witch of her age?! And yeah, he was fun to create ;) ope you enjoy this chapter where we see a little more of Pierre :D 

**So as you can see, I reply, thank and dedicate a chapter to all of my reviewers, so please drop me a comment maybe? Character development ideas, plot twists, guesses on what you think might happen, whatever you like, I want to hear it ALL :)**

Thanks so much for reading, see ya back here next Monday, pretty late! And enjoy your week dearies :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys, so brief announcement, please read: **

**I'm really sorry, and I didn't want to do this, but I wont be updating weekly, the thing is, I need reviews to carry on writing because otherwise there isn't really any point. So, I'm going to try a new tactic, as I'm aiming for 15 reviews, I'll update when I get 15 :) **

**So all you have to do if you want to see the next chapter is review :) **

**Anways, on with the update!  
This one's quite short, as it develops on a few new ships (EXCITING) and gives you a little more detail into a few characters. **

**Summary: Harry worries about Hermione, Hermione and Pierre heat up a lil bit, and Draco seems... menstrual. **

**Disclaimer: Dude I own nothing pls stahp asking meh. **

**REVIEW... please? **

**LOVE YA xo**

**UPDATE: Looks like I won't be updating anytime soon :/ I asked for 15 reviews, and have 13. Sorry guys, but if I don't get the last two, this story wont get finished. Sorry to do this, but I have low self esteem as it is, the fact that no one bothers to review my work is pretty upsetting so I'll just abandon ship in a week if the number doesn't rise :/ **

**I'll miss you, (I'm gonna be a pessimist, nobody will review :( ) hope you like what I've written so far, shame no more will be posted. x**

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Chapter 7  
Tension Time

"I don't know Pansy, I don't trust this guy." Harry muttered as he and his partner headed back to their room, they'd got bored of waiting for the other Hogwarts students to show up for lunch, and had instead had an early meal and decided to return to their separate dorms.

Pansy Parkinson rolled her eyes for what felt like the tenth time that hour and turned back to her partner, a small smile playing about her full bow lips as she retorted:

"Harry if I had a galleon for every time you've said that in the past few hours… really. Hermione's old enough and smart enough to know what she's doing, you're acting like an overprotective brother." She sniped, giggling as he shot her a look.

"I'm allowed to be worried, Hermione is like a sister to me, I hope that slimy French idiot knows if he touches her, or upsets her in anyway, he'll have me to answer to and I won't be happy."

"Hermione is 16 now, you can't really dictate what she does and doesn't do in, _that_ department." Pansy winked as Harry gagged.

"Oh stop it Harry, I take back what I said about you being like her brother, you're acting like a grumpy old dad." Harry raised an eyebrow as Pansy winked, and slipped him an I-dare-you pout.

"You want me to make you take that back?" He grinned, as Pansy whipped out of his path just as he lunged at her, his arms outstretched.

"Harry James Potter if you tickle me I swear to Merlin I will hex your brains out." She whispered in his ear as he chuckled softly.

"I make no promises." He winked as Pansy swerved past him again, her slight, graceful figure advantaging her as Harry chased her round the corner.

She arrived, breathless at the door of her and Harry's shared dorm, she checked behind her, still grinning as she began uttering the words of their enchantment to opening the door.

"Pansy Aurora Parkinson, if you open that door I swear to Merlin I will tickle your brains out." Harry's husky voice whispered in her ear, a voice that sent shivers down her spine.

She spun round to face him, and Harry was momentarily stunned by how beautiful Pansy flipping Parkinson looked in that one moment.

Her inky black hair was in loose curls that framed her face and went tumbling down her back, and her ice blue eyes seemed to soften as they met his. Her flushed cheeks and perfect, red bow lips added to the picture of perfect he had begun to see in his roommate.

After last night, something they had decided not to talk about, (they'd drunk some fire whiskey Pansy had slipped into her bag when they were lost in the castle, and had bonded a little too much from what Harry could remember.) things had changed somewhat between them.  
But now, he looked at her not with hatred or distaste, or even the shame and slight aggravation he'd felt this morning, he looked at Pansy Parkinson and he felt as though someone finally understood him.

He bent his head suddenly and kissed her softly, tenderly, nothing like the wild, animal activities of the previous night.

When he pulled away and opened his eyes, he half expected her to be looking up at him in disgust, or even embarrassment.

But as he looked, rather nervously, back at the beautiful face he was beginning to treasure, he saw only her eyes lighting up as she pulled him back towards her, and deeper into another kiss.

* * *

Hermione didn't think she'd ever laughed so much in such a short space of time, and she was surprised to learn just how long she'd spent wandering the magnificent palace with her native companion.

"Ah, 'Ermione, this 'as been just fantastic." Pierre smiled down at her, his warm brown eyes glowing in the setting sun.

Hermione smiled back, once again entwining her hand with his as they sat together on a grassy hillside in the grounds, a place that Pierre said was often overlooked, although he thought it was the most beautiful part of the palace.

Hermione had to admit, she agreed with him.

From the soft grassy bank, you could see almost the entire palace stretching out before the horizon, and when the sun began to set, it bathed the entire palace in a backlit orangey-pink glow, illuminating it so it shone like a beacon.

"Oh, Pierre, this is so beautiful." Hermione said wistfully as she looked out over the grounds and smiled.

Pierre bent his head towards her, his ebony curls flicking into his face.

"You are beautiful." He said, as Hermione blushed profusely, whilst he brushed back a lock of hair from her cheek.

He bent down until their faces were almost touching, and she could smell spearmint, delectably fresh and cool.

He kissed her softly, as the sun set behind the Beauxbatons castle.

When they eventually broke apart, it was getting dark, and so Pierre handed Hermione his jacket before helping her up of the ground.

"Would you please 'ave dinner with me and some of my friends?" He asked as they walked back towards the glowing light of the entry way.

Hermione almost breathed a sigh of relief, the table for the Hogwarts students had been tense to say the least, what with Harry and Ron still barely talking, and Draco pestering her constantly.

"I'd love to, do you mind if I go upstairs and change first? I'll meet you down here before dinner starts?" She smiled as they paused by the stairs.

"Well, at least let me escort you to your room Mademoiselle." He winked, taking her hand as they headed up to her dorm.

For a native French speaker, Pierre spoke English remarkably well, and could hold up a conversation much better than any muggle she'd ever met in France.

When they reached her shared room with Draco, she cast the spell and opened the door, to find the common area empty.

With a slightly confused shrug, she turned back to say goodbye to Pierre and thank him for his jacket, and she found herself suddenly nose to nose with the handsome boy who'd walked her in.

"Oh." She said quietly, as Pierre smiled and pulled her into his arms.

They fell onto the sofa, kissing wildly as the fire blazed behind them.  
Hermione ran her fingers along Pierre's chest, raked her hands through his hair as he held her waist.  
It wasn't that she hadn't kissed anyone before, she'd even made out with a few, but this was different.  
Kissing Pierre was like she was blazing hot, it was intense, and she loved it.

He tugged his shirt off, revealing smooth abs and a flat stomach, Hermione's T shirt was practically ripped, but she realised with sudden force and complete abandon that she didn't even care.

"Ahem." The couple jerked apart at the sudden noise, and Hermione felt her face flush an incredible shade of red as she noticed Draco Malfoy making his was down the steps from his bedroom and into the common area, his face expressionless as he looked down on the pair.

Pierre quickly retrieved his shirt, as Hermione tried her best to cover up the tears in hers.

Abashed, Pierre awkwardly stood up, nodding lamely to Draco as he made his way to the door.

"I will see you at dinner, 'Ermione?" He asked before leaving, winking quickly as Draco hissed.

Hermione nodded, half wishing he would stay. She wasn't sure if she should be afraid or not, it wasn't as though Draco was her father or anything, she had no reason to do what he asked.

Her resolve strengthened slightly, she straightened her back and glared at Draco, though her face was still flushed pink.

"Well it was nice of you to interrupt." She snapped, unsure of what else to say.

She realised immediately that that had been the wrong thing.

Draco turned, lightning fast to face her, fury contorting his face as he glared at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I just have let you have sex on the sofa and then maybe go for dinner instead of walking into the common area?!" He fumed, glaring at her with pure hatred.

"I don't understand why you're so angry." Hermione snapped, trying to hide her confusion.

Why did he even care?! It wasn't like shed deliberately done this, it wasn't like she'd offended him in any way. Embarrassed, maybe, but she was having trouble understanding his rage.

"Oh, just go. Go and make out with your French boy you mudblood slut." He hissed, as Hermione's jaw dropped as though he'd slapped her across the face.

"Says you? The boy who's practically slept with every girl in our year!" She shrieked as Draco snarled in reply.

"Not every, there are certain ones I wouldn't touch." He hissed, glaring at her pointedly as he raged out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Hermione sank down to the sofa, crushed.

She tried her best to defend herself from Draco's tirades, the insults he sent flying that she could usually so easily return.

So why did she suddenly feel as though she was an addict crashing off a high?

With a small whimper she retreated to her room.

Crying was ok as long as no one saw you do it that had become her recent motto.

She suddenly wasn't in the mood for dinner after all.

* * *

**Mione's a bit upset poor thang! So yes... that chapter was just EW. **

**TOO SHORT. **

**So, if you want to see the next way more action packed, interesting instalment, drop me a review! I want to get to 15, and when I do a new chapter will be posted :) **

**Thanks for reading, see you soon (...I hope) **

**LOVE YA xo**


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